First of Nelson Park $3m Fund Spent on Warren Street Pocket Park

The first of a series of parks planned for Hastings city CDB will be located on Warren Street, providing a place for members of the public to relax and patrons of Café Zigliotto to dine alfresco.

The Warren Street pocket park is the first to be paid for out of the $3m fund set aside from the sale of Nelson Park in 2008 for open spaces in the city.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says it’s great to see that money from the open space fund is now being put towards creating parks in the heart of Hastings’ retail and commercial area.

“It all adds to the attractiveness and amenity of the CBD. This first park will provide a place for office workers and shoppers to relax, while enhancing an increasingly popular precinct for cafes,” Mayor Yule says.

“This sort of private/public partnership is a trend we want to encourage right throughout the CBD. Nurturing a café culture and social diversity in Hastings will inevitably draw more recreational shoppers into the city.”

Café Zigliotto owner Warren Hanger says he intends to alter the layout of the existing café to provide a better aspect to the new park.

“The park will create a lovely space, not only for patrons to sit in but to look out on to. Just having people using the park will create more of a buzz. I’m excited about the project,” Mr Hanger says.

Café Zigliotto will pay an annual rental on the small area created for its outdoor furniture.

Designs shown here are indicative only but the final design will incorporate community safety features, sustainable design, “hot climate landscaping for the northerly aspect, public seating and take into account the parks relation to the street.

Construction on the park is expected to be completed by March 2011.

The Warren Street site is currently a Council-owned leased carpark and a total of 13 carparks will be removed with the construction of the park. However, Council is actively seeking alternative sites for further carparks in the vicinity.

It has been recognised for some time that there is a lack of public open space in the centre of Hastings. Public consultation for the Urban Design Framework in September last year asked the public how they saw public space being developed through the city and took into consideration matters such as pathways, carparking, toilets and complimentary private uses.

Submitters agreed with consultants and council officers that creating small but functional open spaces at regular intervals along the linear CBD was the best way to make parks accessible to as many people as possible.

The framework was approved by Council earlier this month and the Warren Street pocket park is the first of a number of parks that will be delivered in the next two to three years.

Council is already planning the next park, which will be closer to Russell Street, and an announcement on that open space is due early next year.